Abstract
With the intensified stressors that have occurred, students, especially students of color are vulnerable to chronic stress effects. The study examines the current anti-immigrant political climate, disproportionate teacher to student racial ratio and the outbreak of COVID-19 as the stressors to the four chronic effects on students’ bodies. The chronic stress effects are psychological, physiological, behavior and emotional effects. However, social and emotional learning (SEL) is introduced in California Teaching Performance Expectation as a tool to help students to cope with stress. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to understand and examine the preparedness and level of confidence of teachers to teach social and emotional learning in the stressful circumstances. A survey was distributed to a high school in Northern California and the participants were current in-service teachers. Quantitative analysis was utilized in this study. The results have shown that although all the participants understand SEL, there is a lack of a concrete definition. The participants reported in the survey have strong association and ability to implement SEL. The study offers critiques to their responses and suggestions to the administration.